Biofiltration of H2S with reclaimed water as a nutrient/moisture source at loading rates from 10 to 300 g H2S m−3 h–1

Abstract

A biofilter was evaluated with two different media under field conditions using reclaimed water as a nutrient source. Evaluation with a single medium demonstrated that H2S could be efficiently removed at volumetric loading rates of up to 200 g H2S m−3 h−1. After an extended period of high loading rates, the performance began to deteriorate at loading rates greater than 150 g H2S m−3 h−1 possibly due to nutrient limitations. The reclaimed water served as a nutrient source even though the primary form of nitrogen was nitrate. The reclaimed water successfully supplied nutrients at the majority of loading rates observed in the study and this was verified by stoichiometric calculations. The biofilter was converted to a dual media filter and consistent performance was also observed with the dual media filter at loading rates up to 150 g H2S m−3 h−1. The biofilter was successfully operated at loading rates higher than previously reported under field conditions. The use of nitrate in reclaimed water as a nitrogen source was successful and demonstrated the potential to eliminate the need for a separate nutrient source at a water reclamation plant.